Future Simple Studio creates "contemporary vocabulary" for Montreal bathhouse
Canadian firm Future Simple Studio has designed the interiors of a communal sauna and hydrotherapy experience in Montreal – a collaboration between wellness brand Recess and skincare company Aesop.
The 75-minute journey through the Aesop x Recess bathhouse in Griffintown takes guests through several zones, forming a hot-cold circuit intended to invigorate the body's circulatory system.
In each zone, Future Simple Studio has imbued a distinct material palette and atmosphere to immerse guests and assist in wayfinding.
"The design draws from ancient bathing traditions distilled into an elemental, contemporary vocabulary," said the team.
In the bright reception area, a raw, cold-rolled steel counter is slightly offset from a lower, adjacent basin where guests can clean their hands using Aesop products.
A gridded lattice behind the counter contains glass blocks and, towards the top left corner, the Recess logo is spelt out vertically in pairs of letters.
The aluminium lattice continues across the ceiling, while the left wall is dedicated to displaying merchandise on stainless steel shelving that "recalls the purity of clinics and the reflective depth of water – echoing the understated elegance of both brands."
From the entrance, a gently ramped tunnel is bathed in dappled light and leads up to all-gender locker rooms.
"The lighting effect [in the tunnel] references reflections of water, subtly hinting at the experience to come," said the team.
"Efficient yet subdued, this hushed space offers a moment of decompression – a quiet threshold between the external world and the meditative interior beyond."
The changing areas have a minimalist look, with slate floors, metal locker doors and wooden open shelving all detailed simply and precisely.
Beyond, marble slab seats create a waiting or relaxation area, where plaster walls are illuminated by Bocci sconces.
The sauna itself has a circular shape, with the coals housed in a cylindrical drum in the centre and slatted wood seats tiered around the circumference.
Lighting behind the seats and an oculus above the coal pit produce a warm, diffused glow that emanates through the sauna room.
A dramatic shift occurs between the neutral-toned hot area and the cool blue space that hosts the cold plunge.
This illuminated pool is large enough for 12 guests at a time to immerse themselves in icy water, heightening an experience that's typically individualised.
A wall featuring rock-like texture partially disguises the showers, in which cove lighting casts dramatic shadows across dark surfaces.
The suggested circuit includes 20-minute sauna sessions, broken up by two-minute cold plunges and short breaks for conversation.
"The rhythm encourages presence and community – a social ritual that bridges individual and collective restoration," the team said.
Frosted glass panels separate the blue-hued area from a lounge space that's frequently used for programming, and is accessed from both hot and cold zones via short flights of steps.
This tiled space hosts art installations, DJ sets and guided breathwork sessions, and features a curtained back wall that provides a canvas for projections.
Bathhouses are becoming increasingly popular in North America as social spaces where people can relax and convene without alcohol.
Others with notable interiors include Othership in Manhattan, where a deep, earthy palette and atmospheric lighting is employed, and a subterranean spa located in a 1930s Brooklyn soda factory.
Future Simple Studio's past projects range from a "brutalist and serene" sushi restaurant in Ottawa to a family apartment within a historic Montreal building.
The photography is by Félix Michaud, courtesy of Recess.
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